Manhattan, New York ; December Fandom Time
It wasn't until they were back at Mindy's apartment that Casey brought up the event-planning thing again, although Mindy had really hoped that it would just go away.
Mindy was seated at the kitchen table, balancing her checkbook for lack of any gossip sites to check (she'd checked them all from her phone from the music festival). Casey was making sandwiches for the two of them, and he looked to be using just the right amount of tomato, which made Mindy smile. He knew her sandwich preferences.
"Hey, babe," he said in between tossing turkey slices onto the bread. "I was messing around online, doing a little research, and what do you think about Austin, Texas?"
Her surprise probably showed on her face, because he continued, "UT's got a two-year Masters in event-planning. I think it'd be cool, man. We'd have a cool little barbecue spot we go to once a week, call it our special spot..."
This didn't sound any better the second time around, even though Mindy did love a good barbecue spot. Her voice was soft and not even an attempt at sincere when she said, "Great. Then what?"
"What's with the grumbling?" Casey said. He dropped the turkey slices and walked in her direction. "The last time I heard that was when I went to Chicago and the present I brought back was a book about Chicago, and it was cool and you hated it. Do you not want me to switch jobs?"
She had been planning on hedging around it, but when he asked so directly, it was hard to disagree. Mindy stood up. "Okay, I love that you are a romantic about what you do," she said. "I'm a romantic too about lots of stuff, like vacations and weddings. I've designed like a hundred dream Vespas online..."
"I'm sensing a but here," Casey interrupted. "Is it okay if I cup your actual butt when I hear the word but?"
Mindy smiled. "Sure, I'd like that," she said sincerely.
"Thank you," said Casey.
"Austin sounds great, event-planning, all great..."
"Right?"
"Until you change your mind," she said. "And now it's app design in San Jose, and I have roots in Austin and the barbecue sucks in San Jose and I'm just waiting around for my new husband to have a change of heart."
Casey was shaking his head all through that. "No, look, okay, I get it, but babe, after Haiti? We can do anything, babe."
Mindy had been thinking of Haiti too, actually. "That's the point, though," she said. "I already moved to Haiti with you." She took a deep breath and asked, "When is it gonna stop?"
"It's, it, eventually," Casey stammered. "Look, God's talking to me. I have to listen."
It was hard to say this to Casey, but Mindy did anyway. "Sometimes I feel like when God is telling you to change everything, there's a little part of you that's talking too."
Casey seemed not to know what to say at first. He exhaled and it turned into a resigned laugh, Casey shaking his head all the while. "Babe, are we breaking up?"
~
Feeling like she was in a daze, Mindy gave him back the ring and let him pack up his things, only stopping to cry against the closed apartment door once he left. It was a while before she let herself go back into her room, where she knew she'd find shelves emptied of the books and trinkets of Casey's that she'd moved her own things aside to make room for.
On the bed, she found a stuffed voodoo doll with Casey's face taped on it. He must have cut up a photo; she noticed that the photos of the two of them from the frames by her bed had been removed. She appreciated that. She wouldn't have liked taking them down herself. Attached to the doll was a note on Mindy's own stationery, left over from her letter-writing days in Haiti: Don't use too many pins!
Mindy choked out a sob, covering her eyes with her arm for a long moment. She knew she should have Gwen and Alex come over so that they could offer comforting words. But, Mindy decided she could wait on that for another few hours. They would probably tell her to distract herself by throwing herself into her work, which she didn't have right now, or to hook up with some random guy to take her mind off things, or to apply for new jobs. It was all good hypothetical advice, but Mindy didn't want to hear it right now.
Instead, she put on the Les Misérables soundtrack, poured herself red wine, and cried.
{ also from S2E03 "music festival." NFB & NFI, but OOC is great! }
Mindy was seated at the kitchen table, balancing her checkbook for lack of any gossip sites to check (she'd checked them all from her phone from the music festival). Casey was making sandwiches for the two of them, and he looked to be using just the right amount of tomato, which made Mindy smile. He knew her sandwich preferences.
"Hey, babe," he said in between tossing turkey slices onto the bread. "I was messing around online, doing a little research, and what do you think about Austin, Texas?"
Her surprise probably showed on her face, because he continued, "UT's got a two-year Masters in event-planning. I think it'd be cool, man. We'd have a cool little barbecue spot we go to once a week, call it our special spot..."
This didn't sound any better the second time around, even though Mindy did love a good barbecue spot. Her voice was soft and not even an attempt at sincere when she said, "Great. Then what?"
"What's with the grumbling?" Casey said. He dropped the turkey slices and walked in her direction. "The last time I heard that was when I went to Chicago and the present I brought back was a book about Chicago, and it was cool and you hated it. Do you not want me to switch jobs?"
She had been planning on hedging around it, but when he asked so directly, it was hard to disagree. Mindy stood up. "Okay, I love that you are a romantic about what you do," she said. "I'm a romantic too about lots of stuff, like vacations and weddings. I've designed like a hundred dream Vespas online..."
"I'm sensing a but here," Casey interrupted. "Is it okay if I cup your actual butt when I hear the word but?"
Mindy smiled. "Sure, I'd like that," she said sincerely.
"Thank you," said Casey.
"Austin sounds great, event-planning, all great..."
"Right?"
"Until you change your mind," she said. "And now it's app design in San Jose, and I have roots in Austin and the barbecue sucks in San Jose and I'm just waiting around for my new husband to have a change of heart."
Casey was shaking his head all through that. "No, look, okay, I get it, but babe, after Haiti? We can do anything, babe."
Mindy had been thinking of Haiti too, actually. "That's the point, though," she said. "I already moved to Haiti with you." She took a deep breath and asked, "When is it gonna stop?"
"It's, it, eventually," Casey stammered. "Look, God's talking to me. I have to listen."
It was hard to say this to Casey, but Mindy did anyway. "Sometimes I feel like when God is telling you to change everything, there's a little part of you that's talking too."
Casey seemed not to know what to say at first. He exhaled and it turned into a resigned laugh, Casey shaking his head all the while. "Babe, are we breaking up?"
~
Feeling like she was in a daze, Mindy gave him back the ring and let him pack up his things, only stopping to cry against the closed apartment door once he left. It was a while before she let herself go back into her room, where she knew she'd find shelves emptied of the books and trinkets of Casey's that she'd moved her own things aside to make room for.
On the bed, she found a stuffed voodoo doll with Casey's face taped on it. He must have cut up a photo; she noticed that the photos of the two of them from the frames by her bed had been removed. She appreciated that. She wouldn't have liked taking them down herself. Attached to the doll was a note on Mindy's own stationery, left over from her letter-writing days in Haiti: Don't use too many pins!
Mindy choked out a sob, covering her eyes with her arm for a long moment. She knew she should have Gwen and Alex come over so that they could offer comforting words. But, Mindy decided she could wait on that for another few hours. They would probably tell her to distract herself by throwing herself into her work, which she didn't have right now, or to hook up with some random guy to take her mind off things, or to apply for new jobs. It was all good hypothetical advice, but Mindy didn't want to hear it right now.
Instead, she put on the Les Misérables soundtrack, poured herself red wine, and cried.
{ also from S2E03 "music festival." NFB & NFI, but OOC is great! }